Questions about the Pearl?

We are booked out of New Orleans right after Mardi Gras on the Pearl. I have read the reviews and they have not been generous of either the ship, crew, entertainment and even the food.

There is a lot of discussion on Breakaway and Epic and some other ships but nary a peep of Pearl.

I realize that often reviews are to complain so I ask those that have been on her since dry dock, what can we expect? Would the entertainment be more jazz orientated since it is out of New Orleans and right after Mardi Gras? Would the food have a bit of Southern flair?

We have never done NCL and are a bit concerned.

We are booked out of New Orleans right after Mardi Gras on the Pearl. I have read the reviews and they have not been generous of either the ship, crew, entertainment and even the food.

 

There is a lot of discussion on Breakaway and Epic and some other ships but nary a peep of Pearl.

 

I realize that often reviews are to complain so I ask those that have been on her since dry dock, what can we expect? Would the entertainment be more jazz orientated since it is out of New Orleans and right after Mardi Gras? Would the food have a bit of Southern flair?

 

We have never done NCL and are a bit concerned.

I️ cruised on the jewel last year, which is same class as pearl. Best cruise I’ve had. Pearl planned in january, have high expectations, and I️ will have a stellar time. Ignore the negative Nancy’s!

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Been on the Breakaway and Pearl and really enjoyed both. Very different itinereries and ships. Pearl to Alaska and Breakaway to Bermuda

Absolutely LOVED the Pearl and wouldnt hesitate to sail on her again. (actually liked it so much we went on the sister ship, the GEM shortly thereafter)

Sailed on Pearl after the refurbishment and found all the common areas and staterooms to be in good shape.

The crew was outstanding...helpful, friendly, fun. The food was great in the specialty restaurants and the buffet. Didnt eat much in the regular dining rooms but didnt hear anyone complaining.

We were on a port intensive cruise so we didnt partake in the evening shows all that much but remember the aerialist show was very good.

It is a great size ship, easy to get around. Thermal spa was wonderful too

Enjoy!

Been on the Pearl and Epic... Loved the Pearl, wonderful crew, lovely ship, no worries.

Been on the Pearl more than the others and would choose it again and again. It's a great ship

The Pearl is a wonderful ship. As far as food goes, the menus are fleet wide so there won’t be a difference whether you sail out of Miami or Nola... music... who knows, they tend to play a mix. Would happily sail on the Pearl again!

We went on the pearl twice and loved it. Can’t speak to it leaving out of New Orleans, but it was great out of Miami.

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Leaving on the Pearl out of NOLA on Dec. 5th. In my opinion, the Jewel class ships are some of the best designed in the NCL fleet. At almost 100,000 tons, it's the perfect size. The great outdoors is a fantastic space and she looks fresh and modern since the refurb. Relax, and have a great time.

We are booked out of New Orleans right after Mardi Gras on the Pearl. I have read the reviews and they have not been generous of either the ship, crew, entertainment and even the food.

There is a lot of discussion on Breakaway and Epic and some other ships but nary a peep of Pearl.

I realize that often reviews are to complain so I ask those that have been on her since dry dock, what can we expect? Would the entertainment be more jazz orientated since it is out of New Orleans and right after Mardi Gras? Would the food have a bit of Southern flair?

We have never done NCL and are a bit concerned.

I am going on the Pearl next Sunday (I can't believe it is so close!!) and I have read the same reviews as you which worried me a bit. But then I remember that a lot of people do write reviews to complain and some people have unrealistic or perfectionist ideas. Any small inconvenience or perceived slight becomes a problem. There have been a ton of people posting, like in this one, who seem to love the Pearl. Overall, I think anything is what you make of it!

In a vote, I'm guessing the Pearl would be voted the favorite of all NCL ships by repeat customers. We've been on her numerous time and have two more cruises booked on her. The Jewel class are the perfect size for us and the Pearl is always comfortable and relaxing cruise for us. However, the Getaway size ships are very nice in their way with more activities and flash if you are looking for that type of cruise.

I am going on the Pearl next Sunday (I can't believe it is so close!!) and I have read the same reviews as you which worried me a bit. But then I remember that a lot of people do write reviews to complain and some people have unrealistic or perfectionist ideas. Any small inconvenience or perceived slight becomes a problem. There have been a ton of people posting, like in this one, who seem to love the Pearl. Overall, I think anything is what you make of it!

My family and I will be on the same cruise :) Cannot wait!!!

Leaving on the Pearl out of NOLA on Dec. 5th. In my opinion, the Jewel class ships are some of the best designed in the NCL fleet. At almost 100,000 tons, it's the perfect size. The great outdoors is a fantastic space and she looks fresh and modern since the refurb. Relax, and have a great time.

I am going on the Pearl next Sunday (I can't believe it is so close!!) and I have read the same reviews as you which worried me a bit. But then I remember that a lot of people do write reviews to complain and some people have unrealistic or perfectionist ideas. Any small inconvenience or perceived slight becomes a problem. There have been a ton of people posting, like in this one, who seem to love the Pearl. Overall, I think anything is what you make of it!

I will be glad to read your reports on the cruise (if you would be so kind to do so). I am assuming both will be out of New Orleans as I think that Pearl is there for the season.

I am also reading quite mixed reviews of Harvest Caye, one of the stops. From being so very expensive to being a poor beach with coarse sand and sea shells. You opinions on that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

There are some great photos of the Pearl on this site from earlier this year after the refurb. Staterooms, restaurants, bars etc.

I don't think you'll have a thing to worry about being on The Pearl. I took my first cruise ever last year to Alaska for 10-days on The Pearl. We had an awesome time! We liked it so much that we are booked on her again for this next May '18. Our cabin was a Mini Suite only a few steps from the forward elevator lobby and stairs. We had spa passes so it was only about 1-2 minutes from door to door - I highly recommend the spa passes. (I WILL have them again.) I can't think of anything I would complain about. Maybe no Diet Mountain Dew??? ;p Don't worry!

The Pearl is my favorite ship! The layout is great, the size is just right and the staff is great! Enjoy your cruise!

My family and I will be on the same cruise :) Cannot wait!!!

Us too! Packing this weekend (and decorating the house for Christmas so it’s all done when I get back )

My family and I will be on the same cruise :) Cannot wait!!!

Us too! Packing this weekend (and decorating the house for Christmas so it’s all done when we get back 🎄😉)

Had a great time on my Pearl cruise.

A long time cruiser, we did our first Norwegian Cruise last April. It was on the Pearl through the Panama Canal. We loved the ship and found the crew was happy, attentive, and friendly. We would definitely cruise on this ship again,

Another vote for the Pearl! We have an upcoming cruise again on her in 2018. The Pearl became our favorite ship all around after our wave goodbye to the Wind before and after she was stretched. The ship is easy to get around and we found the last time everyone was freindly. This is the ship my DH fell inlove with the spa. I mean he fell hard and was going there to enjoy the loungers etc without me! This time we have an aft mini suite and we are so looking forward to our upcoming sailing.

You will not find any extra jazz muscians on board if at all. Menus will not contain anything "southern" other than what is on the fleet wide rotating menu.

We've been on the Pearl 4 times. Last time was this July. She's a great ship and has a great crew

We just got off the pearl on Oct 28!! It was our first cruise so I can’t compare it to any other, this is my opinion. We absolutely loved it!! We were in an inside cabin 11097 and our cruise mates were in a mini suite with a balcony 11096, across the hall from us. We would all stand out on the balcony while we docked at each port, that was pretty cool! Both our rooms were great and the room stewart was awesome!! I gave him $10 the first day and $20 on the last day. He was great, our room was clean and our ice bucket was full everyday. He was very friendly, called me Miss Lori every time he saw me and welcomed us back aboard everyday with a ‘hope you had a nice time’. We had great towel animals everyday!!

As far as food and drinks we had 4 nights of speciality dining and the ultimate drinks package. We ate at the French, Italian, Japanese and the Brazilian restaurants. I loved the Brazilian one, the beef was great!! We ate at O’Sheehan’s the first night. They had prime rib but it was nothing special it was thin and not much flavor but, my sister-in-law loved the wings(4 times). We also ate at the Summer Palace and Indigo, both were very good. We ate breakfast every morning at the Great Outdoors it had a great,in my opinion, breakfast buffet with also made to order eggs and omelets. The drinks were great at every bar we went to. We liked the Sky High Bar we could enjoy our drinks and watch all the fun below on the pool deck. We loved the atrium, there was music there every night and a bar right there, if you got a table the waiters were pretty good.

We went on excursions at every port and had a great time every where went!! I was nervous about getting on and off everyday but it was a breeze a couple morning there was a short line maybe a few people in front of you but really quick in my opinion.

As far as entertainment it was okay, the Angels was a nice show with flying acrobatic. The Legends of Rock was okay also (Elvis, Micheal Jackson and Tina Turner). We really liked listening to Lace Walker(solo guitarist) in the atrium and a band called Avalon was good also. We played deal or no deal and one lady won $500 so that was fun.

I bought a few pictures they turned out pretty good. The photographer was around but didn’t bother you.

We picked this ship because we are very casual types and because of the ports!! We loved that fact that we didn’t have to ‘dress up’. We had a great time on each of our excursions.

As far as Harvest Caye is was nice we rode the ferry over to Placencia, we were supposed to go to the Spice Farm but because of heavy rains the night before that got canceled, apparently a bridge flooded. But we walked around and had a few drinks at a beach club called Tipsy Tuna. It’s kind of a weird little stop but worth the price. We did spend an hour or so on Harvest Caye we walked around and looked at the animals and sat on the beach for a little while. The sand was beautiful white sand I was barefooted most of the time. It was cool, cloudy and windy and the surf was coming in a little hard so we just walked out in the water and went back to our chairs. We didn’t buy anything so I can’t talk about prices. But it nice and clean.

The 4 of us are aged 54-72 and I would say the majority of the people on the boat were in our age group. I literally only saw maybe 10-20 kids the whole trip. We knew going in that this was not a ‘Wow’ boat, don’t get me wrong we had a great time but this boat does not have the ‘wow factor’. But it was awesome!! The staff was helpful and nice everywhere on the boat. The waiters at each restaurant were really good. The layout of the boat is great we never got lost and we still did not go everywhere on the boat. The fish on the carpet ‘swim’ toward the front of the boat so that helps you remember which way to go!!

We will definitely go on Norwegian again but the next time we are thinking about the ‘wow factor’ Bliss, maybe to Alaska in the summer of 19.

Overall I think the Pearl is a great floating hotel with great restaurants and bars and no need to drive anywhere!! For a first time cruiser this boat was perfect for us, we got a little taste and I know I need another week of Mango Meltdowns, my new favorite drink!!

Happy Cruising Everyone

I'm surprised that you've been finding so many negative reviews about the Pearl. It's the best ship I've been on and when I was doing research before my trip I found many positive reviews on the Pearl. It really is well designed and just the right size. The crew was great, you could tell they were like a family to each other. I would love to stay on the Pearl again.

We have been on the Pearl twice and it's one of our favorite ships (not just NCL). It's beautifully decorated, in fact I used the term 'gorgeous' both times. We loved it so much that second time, we brought the whole family with us. Even MIL stated it was a beautiful ship (that's a first!). Good food, good crew. Highly recommended.